Disney Cruise Line has announced the spring and summer 2013 itineraries for the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder (all 2013 itineraries for the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy have been known for some time). Some of the news was expected, some less so.

What was expected?

A new U.S. port of embarkation, Miami, Florida, has been added to DCL’s lineup. News of this dribbled out earlier in January, after DCL scheduled a press conference in Miami. Following the Costa Concordia tragedy, Disney and every other cruise line adopted a low media profile. So, the press event was canceled, and a week later, a simple press release was issued instead.

The addition of Miami makes sense for a variety of reasons. Cruises from Miami reach a large, new market – South Floridians have an enormous list of locally-based cruises to choose from, sailing from both Miami and Fort Lauderdale, so they have to be well-motivated to drive north to Port Canaveral for a Disney cruise. If you can’t get the cruisers to the cruise ship, bring the cruise ship to the cruisers! While there’s a risk DCL will have trouble establishing itself in this very competitive market, I expect that “The Disney Difference,” which includes Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, will make Disney’s offerings sufficiently distinctive. Meantime, DCL’s decision to offer 4- and 5-night cruises seems logical. Short cruises (which is what Disney is offering) are a viable addition to a traditional South Florida winter vacation, and South Florida vacationers tend to not be Orlando vacationers. Also, a shorter cruise is a cheaper cruise, which makes it more appealing as a “sampler.”

Mexican Riviera itineraries from the West Coast have been abandoned for the time being. The drug wars in Mexico continue, making the market for Mexican Riviera cruises soft, at best.

Alaskan itineraries will continue during the summer of ’13. Alaska’s scenery and port activities are fabulous, Alaska is safe, and Alaska is All-American. That’s a 3-point jump shot!

Galveston, Texas continues to be a port of embarkation. The Texas economy is booming, the nearby population is large, and Texans have been itching for some sort of Disney Parks and Resorts presence in their state. And if vacationers don’t have to pay airfare, a cruise becomes affordable to a much larger segment of the population.

PassPorter Author Jennifer Marx and author-in-training, Alexander Marx enjoy the warm, Mediterranean sunshine in the French Riviera port, Villefranche. The Disney Magic will return to Villefranche in 2013..

What was unexpected?

The Disney Magic will return to the Mediterranean, with 4-, 7-, and two 12-night itineraries. New ports of call: Venice, Italy; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Athens, Greece; Mykonos, Greece; and Ephesus, Turkey. Yeah, other people believed the scuttlebutt that’s been circulating for a while. I didn’t buy it, so now I’m surprised. Considering the uncertainty in the European economy, I thought a relatively expensive Disney cruise would be a hard sell to potential European customers. Disney, apparently, is less concerned.

Disney will not offer more cruises from New York City. For now, the Disney Magic’s 2012 itineraries are a one-time thing. Considering the size of the region’s population, the relatively low interest in overseas travel here in the States, economic conditions in Europe that might make sales to Europeans a challenge, and the same “no airfare” considerations found in Miami and Galveston… I thought Disney would return to the Northeast in 2013.

The Alaskan itineraries will all depart from Vancouver, Canada. During Disney’s first (2011) Alaska season, cruisers were unhappy with the cost of airfare to Vancouver (YVR), and a fair number flew into Seattle-Tacoma (SEA), made their way north to Vancouver by car, bus, or train, and still saved some money. DCL’s move to the port of Seattle for the 2012 season made sense on two fronts, as docking fees and other costs to the cruise line are also typically lower in Seattle, and lower airfares make the vacation affordable to a wider market. Why back to Vancouver in ’13? Perhaps Disney got an improved price from Vancouver? And the brief, late afternoon/early evening visit to Victoria, BC on the Seattle-based itineraries brings problems of its own (all non-U.S. flag vessels must stop in at least one foreign port during an itinerary that begins and ends in a U.S. port).

The glittering lights of the British Columbia Provincial Parliament building help make Victoria, BC's Inner Harbor an enchanting sight.

Some interesting tidbits:

These new itineraries go on sale for Platinum and Gold Castaway Club members today, January 25 (and bookings can only be made by phone with either DCL or a travel agent). Sales to the general public begin the next day, January 26, with online bookings available at the web site as well. This is the smallest early-booking window since DCL started offering that perk to its frequent cruisers.

The Disney Magic’s Mediterranean season includes two 4-night “sampler” itineraries. The cruises will depart Barcelona and visit Villefranche (Monte Carlo, Nice, and Cannes) and Palma, Mallorca, with one day at sea. Mercifully, when the Magic visits Venice, it’ll be an extended, overnight stop. There’s so much to see, and so little time on a typical, 7- to 8-hour port visit! If only we could have the same, extended visits for Florence, Rome, and Athens!

The Disney Wonder’s “regular” Miami-based itineraries are 4-night Bahamas trips visiting Castaway Cay, and 5-night Western Caribbean cruises, half visiting Castaway Cay and Cozumel, and half visiting Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Some cruisers were hoping for longer ventures into the Southern Caribbean. Shorter cruises are easier to sell.

Lovers of 14-night repositioning cruises should be in seventh heaven. The Magic will be heading to Europe from Galveston, and the Wonder will pass through the Panama Canal at least twice – Eastbound in early December 2012, then back for the 2013 Alaska season. What we don’t know is where the Magic will be headed after Europe, or whither the Wonder after Alaska – but in any case, there will probably be two more 14-night or longer repositionings before the end of 2014.

Altogether, Disney Cruise Line has wasted no time in exploiting the benefits of its expanded fleet. The new Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy are there to keep DCL’s traditional, Port Canaveral-based Bahamas and Caribbean itineraries humming along, while the smaller Disney Magic and Disney Wonder are freed to roam the globe in search of new markets and new destinations.